Activated Charcoal: The Nitty Gritty

Activated charcoal has came and made it’s stance in the beauty industry. But like everything else, more rumors than reality have been brought up with regards to its actual effects. Now that it is event season: weddings, proms, graduation, vacation, etc., it’s imperative that our faces are smooth as baby’s bottoms and are pearly whites are white. Although activated charcoal cleansers and masks for our face haven’t posed any health threats; activated charcoal toothpaste has. It’s important to learn the health risks before embarking on any teeth whitening journey, but the effects of activated charcoal can be irreversibly hazardous.

Activated charcoal, as previously stated does a lot of good for your body if consumed in small doses. For example, according to dentaly.org, activated charcoal can be found in decaffeinated coffee and water filters because once activated it gains properties to remove toxins out of an area (www.dentaly.org). The health precautions activated charcoal comes with is the abrasiveness of the mineral. Using activated charcoal for a week, for example, can remove the tooth enamel we can’t reproduce after it’s gone. Our tooth enamel prevents are teeth from turning yellow and makes are teeth strong. Hence, the reason all of our toothpaste have fluoride inside of them. Another con is if your teeth naturally have a yellow tint; activated charcoal won’t be of much assistance to you.

The safest way to attain white teeth? Activated charcoal whitening stripes or any commercial toothpaste brand whitening stripes or kit. This way, it’s not being used as often so our enamel can remain strong and we can only use it for special occasions. Of course, daily brushing, flossing, and regularly meeting with your dentist for cleanings and checkups always the best option.